Resilience Resources:

Resources from the Vice-President of Diversity and Public Interest Committee

7/8/15 – Addressing Charleston and Related State Violence Towards Black Men and Men of Color

In the days since the murder of 9 members of a bible study group at the AME Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC, communities across the US have been having conversations about race, terrorism, and white supremacy both in person and on social media. As we send out our third response to the murders of African Americans this year, we grieve the loss of life and again condemn acts of violence and terror. We also condemn the killing, in particular, of People of Color and transgender people whose deaths have not garnered publicity, but whose murders have powerfully impacted their communities. In the spirit of working toward social justice, we ask that Division 17 members commit to actions leading to systemic and interpersonal change, racial justice, and moving #blacklivesmatter beyond the hashtag.

Here are some questions related to racial justice for division members. We urge you to reflect on your own, with colleagues, and with friends. It is our hope that reflection, discussion, and empathic connection will contribute to increased critical consciousness in scholarship, practice, activism, and community engagement.

In the time period between the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and the nine people killed in Charleston has your thinking changed relating to issues of racism and racial justice? If so, how? If not, why?

In what settings have you felt supported/understood/validated in discussions about race and racial justice? In those settings, what has been facilitative of discussion? In what settings have you not felt supported/understood/validated in discussions about race and racial justice? In those settings, what has come up to impede discussion and a shared understanding of these issues?

During the past year, have discussions led to actions? If so, what types of actions? If not, what keeps you from acting?

We also offer some suggestions of resources that may help to teach, facilitate constructive dialogue, maintain self care, and deepen understanding:

If you would like to join in the efforts of the Vice-President of Diversity and Public Interest Committee, please email Anneliese Singh at asingh@uga.edu.

4/22/15 – Call for Counseling Psychologist Action: End Violence Against Black Men and Communities of Color

In the months since the grand jury decisions in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY, violence directed toward African American and Black people has continued. Recently, a bystander used their cell phone video camera to document the shooting of Walter Scott, an African American male by a police officer in North Charleston, S.C. Mr. Scott was stopped for a broken brake light and shot from behind while running from the officer. And while the murder charge brought against the officer may seem like evidence of justice served, the pattern of violence (e.g., Mr. Freddie Gray’s recent demise after his recent arrest) suggests otherwise. In fact, according to a Washington Post article, of the thousands of fatal shootings involving police since 2005, only 54 officers have been charged (and in 43 of those cases there has been an extraordinary circumstance such as a videotape, a victim shot in the back, or testimony to the officers’ guilt (http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/04/11/thousands-dead-few-prosecuted/).

Mr. Scott’s tragic and avoidable death, along with instances of police killing unarmed Black people in Baltimore, Wisconsin, Georgia, Colorado, and Oklahoma in 2015 among others, provides further evidence of the need to act and advocate for justice and cultural sensitivity training in numerous domains, including law enforcement. Viewed in conjunction with other events, such as the widely broadcast story about the racist chant at the SAE fraternity at University of Oklahoma, we urge counseling psychologists to recognize, address, and reduce racism in their workplaces and communities.

In light of these events, we are asking that every counseling psychology training program circulate the resources below geared toward discussion, advocacy, and action:

2/18/15 – How Counselors and Psychologists Can Take Action on Hate Crimes towards Muslims in the U.S.

Last week, three Muslim Americans in Chapel Hill, NC were brutally killed. Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were killed by Craig Stephen Hicks, 46. News outlets reported that their “Muslim identity…eclipse[d] the three victims’ American-ness.” These murders echo the Islamophobia that has existed in the U.S. for many decades, perpetuating and further exemplifying our nation’s unchecked history of racism and hate. Because these murders occurred on a university campus, which we often consider a “safe” space, Muslim (and those perceived as Muslim) faculty, students, staff, and community members are grieving this latest experience of hatred and may need support. Allies to the Muslim community are also feeling shaken by this most recent event. Active Islamophobia, and even silence, amplifies injustice. In fact, as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated so eloquently, we should all be concerned and take action in moments such as this.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

Thus, we wanted to share a list of resources for teaching, learning, and taking action related to Islamophobia in the U.S. Here are some things that counselors and psychologists can do to talk about this event within their personal and professional circles, educating themselves about Islamophobia, and taking action in the eradication of Islamophobia.